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Welcome!

This guide was created by the Beatley Library Open Access learning community.

As defined by Peter Suber, "Open access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions."

Explore the pages of this libguide to find out how Open Access came about, how it can be used, and the intellectual property environment in which it lives.

History of OA

Open Access Week started in 2009 in response to the success of Open Access Day organized by SPARC (Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition), PLOS (Public Library of Science), and Students for Free Culture the previous year.

The Open Access Movement gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s but really gained momentum starting in the 1990s as the internet created exciting possibilities for instantaneous access to research and opportunities for online collaboration and research.

Check out these timelines and articles for more information on the history of the open access movement: